


Inform

by t_adash_i



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Tadashi-centric, Torture, this is not a happy story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-12
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2018-03-17 13:07:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3530504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_adash_i/pseuds/t_adash_i
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Tadashi leaves HYDRA's grip, he is the only one who knows how to replicate the doomsday device. There are others who very interested in that information.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inform

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Avenged](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3199970) by [The_Lord_of_Chaos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lord_of_Chaos/pseuds/The_Lord_of_Chaos). 



> WARNING: This story is incredibly dark. Please be careful.  
> For those who haven't read the story that inspired this, and don't want to, here is a brief synopsis (though I would recommend a hundred times over that you read the original): Rather than die in the fire, Tadashi was kidnapped by HYDRA, and used along with a team of other scientists to build a doomsday device. In order to get him to cooperate, he was told Hiro died following him into the fire. He managed to sabotage the device, was almost killed, then was rescued by the Avengers and the Big Hero 6 team. No other scientists on his team survived. Because he is the only person still alive who has that knowledge, he ends up taken many other times by people who want it. Though most are incompetent, some actually know what they're doing.

When Tadashi Hamada wakes up, he is chained to a wall.  


For a second, he thinks he is back with HYDRA, and almost wants to cry. Hiro, the rescue, the Avengers, was it all a dream? But no, in HYDRA, they needed him working, not strung up on a wall, shoulders aching and feet barely touching the ground.  


So what happened? He remembers... He remembers working late in the lab, losing himself in the reassuring familiarity of building and coding and testing. He had finally been comfortable enough to be on his own, so he had sent Hiro home to get some sleep. He had realized the time, walked out to get on his moped and ride home, and then... Nothing.  


Before he can contemplate more on his situation, the door opens.  


He doesn't realize how dark his room is until searing light pours in from the doorway. His eyes burn and his head throbs as he hisses in a breath and snaps his eyes shut.  


Footsteps cross the floor, then there is a sudden shock of pain as he is slapped full across the face.  


"Wake up, Mister Hamada."  


Tadashi is no stranger to pain, even less to pain delivered by captors. Whatever's happening, he can take it.  
At least he sent Hiro home before he was taken too.  


Tadashi pries his eyes open again and glares at the woman in front of him.  


"Why am I here? What do you want from me?"  


She smiles, painted red lips stretching grotesquely across her face. "Well, aren't you a fast one? As we understand it, you worked on the Doomsday Device. HYDRA's last hope."  


"I have no idea what you're talking about."  


"Yes, you do. And you're going to tell me all about it."  


She turns smartly on her heel and walks back out of the room. The door shuts behind her and Tadashi is left in blessed darkness.  


\--  


He isn't sure how many hours have passed. At least with HYDRA, he was never bored. Now, he is anxious and restless, yes, but he has nothing to do except tug on his chains and stare into the darkness. His shoulders went numb about half an hour ago, and the bruise he is sure has formed on his face aches. He had tried calling out to anyone listening earlier, but had quickly decided it wasn't going to accomplish anything.  


The cold has started to sink down into bones, a numbing chill that feels like it will never leave. The only protection he has from the icy chill is a thin pair of pants, his shirt and shoes missing.  


Suddenly, the door bursts open again. He's slightly more prepared for the blinding white lights, but that doesn't make them any more pleasant. With both actual light and open eyes, he can see more of this room he's trapped in.  
The floor is dirty tile, probably white once, now crusted with black dirt and a rusty brown color in some places he doesn't want to think much about. The walls are a bland grey. What's more interesting is rings with chains attached, hung periodically along the ceiling. It looked like this room could contain 15 or 20 people at its capacity. Now, he is trapped alone.  


While he is taking this all in, the woman from earlier crosses the room. This time, someone else is with her. A large, muscular looking man, and a small, mousey woman are with her as well.  


He warily looks at the entourage without speaking, lest saying the wrong thing and angering them.  


The first woman silently nods to him. Before he can respond, the man comes forward and punches him hard in the stomach, three times. His stomach rolls and heaves and his body tries desperately to curl on itself, unable to protect itself from the harsh attack. Before, he had only been hurt when he hadn't cooperated. But this... This was brutality for brutality's sake.  


Once he manages to catch his breath and suppress the pain that's screaming for his attention, he looks up. The woman in front flicks her hand at the smaller woman, who scurries out to the hall, returning just as quickly with a small cart. The cart is neatly covered with scalpels and thumb screws and a plethora of other small, sharp things. The blood drains from Tadashi's face as his situation truly dawns on him. His chest heaves and he can feel every hair on his body stand on end. Breath drags into his ragged, dry throat and he is desperate for water and food and clothing and home. But he can't dwell on that. Tadashi learned the hard way that thinking about what was outside prison walls only made captivity that much harder. It's not a lesson he wants to relearn.  


He finally tears his wide eyes away from the cart back to the group in the room with him. The taller woman speaks.  
"Where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself. Of course, I won't be telling you my real name, so you may just call me Doctor. Madame works just as well. He," she says, gesturing to the man, "is Sir, and she," to the woman, "is Miss. Any questions?"  


"Why am I here?"  


Doctor nods. "A fair question, had I not already answered it. However, I will be kind this once: you will explain how the doomsday device is built and how it works."  


"And why they hell would I do that?"  


"Mister Hamada, by the time these two are done with you, you will be begging to tell me every nuance."  


\--  


They start with brute force. Sir is as strong as he looks and as powerful as his first few blows demonstrated. Tadashi refuses to make noise, but the occasional grunt or hiss does slip past his traitorous lips. Neither Sir nor Miss speak, only Doctor, who smiles with every noise and whispers promises of relief if Tadashi would just _tell her_. He responds in kind with a "Fuck off," or just silence.  


Eventually, the purplegreenblack canvas of bruises on his chest - and _shit_ he thinks there's at least two cracked ribs - stops being entertaining to Doctor. She pushes off the wall behind her and studies him, brow furrowed.  


"What will it take, Mister Hamada?"  


He looks up at her, directly in the eye.  


"This isn't the worst I've had. You'll have to do better than that." He's been a punching bag more than a few times in his life, and this is no different.  


"Mmm. I thought you'd say that. Normally, Sir is enough to break people. We don't often have to bring Miss into the picture."  


Miss? What could that tiny, skittish woman do to him? He had assumed she was Doctor's assistant.  
Miss starts at her name, then grabs the awful cart he had forgotten about and pushes it forward. His face is covered in sweat and his nose is bleeding all over the place and his ribs are cracked and he has never been so fucking scared in his live.  


"Miss is long practiced at torture-" and that's what this is, he's being _tortured_ for information- "and I'm sure you will be no challenge for her."  


Sir steps back, wiping blood off his knuckles, and Miss takes his place.  


With practiced hand and well trained eye, she selects the scalpel.  


Doctor speaks from her place against the wall next to him.  


"Now, Mister Hamada, it's obvious you're scared, so I'll give you one last chance. _Tell me about the doomsday device_."  


Lips cracked and dry, body aching and stiff and sweaty, covered in bruises and blood, Tadashi spits out a "Fuck. You."  


Miss starts on his arm.  


\--  


Cuts are very much different from bruises. Slaps and punches and kicks hurt like hell and ache for ages after they're delivered, but they can be ignored, not without difficulty. Cuts, however, are as sharp as the blade that deliver them, and demand attention.  


Tadashi is determined to keep his silence, however, refusing to cry out no matter how deep the scalpel runs. Miss pauses, biting her lip, then returns to her work. He's calming some, pushing down the deep undercurrent of _panic_ and deciding that, yes, he can do this, when Miss begins peeling the skin from his arm.  
That's when the screaming begins.  


Doctor smiles.  


\--  


Tadashi has given up on restraining his screams. He let's them out, full and loose, because if he doesn't channel this agony somewhere he feels he will burst with it. Thankfully, Miss only flays part of his forearm, switching back to cuts and moving down to his chest after she removes a neat rectangle as big as her hand. Doctor whispers sweetly in his ear the whole time, telling him all about how much it hurts, as if he doesn't already know.  


"Tadashi, you can stop this whenever you want. It hurts so, so much, I know. Miss is very good at her job. At this point, lovely, you're doing this to yourself. You just need to talk to me, and then we'll be done. It really pains me to have to do this, it does, because you're too smart to let this happen to yourself. You know a way out, but you don't take it. You're smarter than than, Tadashi, incredibly smart, and I know you'll eventually make the intelligent decision."  


Her voice is insidious, creeping though his ear and curling up in his head, too close to be blocked out.  


Miss puts away the scalpel. He sags in relief, shoulders screaming in protest and multitude of wounds crying for attention, but then Miss turns around again and he wants to sob at what she hold in her hand.  


It's a cattle prod.  


"Tadashi, darling, you know what you have to say. Stop with the _please_ s and the _why_ s and just tell me what I want to know. I don't want to do this, Miss doesn't want to do this, you must want this since you're letting it continue. Just talk to me."  


He doesn't respond, gasping in ragged breaths and steeling himself for more, taking comfort in the short reprieve he got before even more pain crashes onto him.  


Miss flicks the prod on, then rears back and drives it into his skin.  


His screams are heard all throughout the building.  


\--  


Time has lost meaning. All there is is agony and burning flesh and arcing electricity and sharp blades and Doctor's voice.  


He can no longer tell what is blood or sweat or tears or the sicksweet honey of soothing words in his ear, delirious with hunger and thirst and the roar of _pleasestopohgodmakeitstop_ in his head. He isn't sure if he's still screaming anymore. He isn't even sure if he can.  


He would almost take HYDRA a thousand times over rather than this, but there, Hiro was dead, and here, Hiro is alive, so he can take the smallest of comforts in that. Sometimes, he almost wants to scream out that he'll tell them, he'll tell them anything, but just imagining Hiro's face if he found out Tadashi broke is enough to stop that.  


Finally, he can't take is anymore.  


"Please," he rasps. "Water, please."  


Doctor purses her lips, motioning to Miss to stop. "He isn't speaking, at least for now. Physical won't get to him. Miss, get him some bread and water, and I'll look for some... Alternatives."  


He doesn't even pay attention to the threatening pause before the word because _he's getting water_ and _he's so thirsty_. Miss gently lays her thumbscrew back down, pushing her cart to the side and skittering off to wherever the kitchen must be.  


"Sir, stay here and make sure he doesn't try anything," and ha, as if he has the strength to speak anymore, much less try an escape. Doctor stalks off, and he is left alone with Sir.  


He's not sure how much time passes. Sir, lip curled, presses his thumb into many of Tadashi's wounds, who is too weak to do anything beyond groan and turn away slightly. Eventually, Sir gets bored, and goes off to stand outside the door.  


Miss returns not too much later, carrying a tray laden with a glass of water and a few slices of bread. Sir calls in, "Only one slice of bread, Missy. This isn't some kind of resort." Miss slowly nods, then enters the room, sticking a straw in the glass and waiting patiently as he greedily sucks every drop of cold, clear liquid out of the cup. She feeds him a single slice of dry, grainy bread, bite by bite, then scurries off with tray.  


Somehow, Tadashi manages to doze off.  


\--  


When he wakes, it's to a slap to the face. At this point, he's so focused on other points of pain on his body he barely feels it. He blinks blearily, Doctor coming into focus before him.  


"You were right from the start. Pain won't break you. Miss could skin every inch of you and you wouldn't say a word. No, pain won't work. Do you know what will?"  


She snaps. Miss wheels a camera attached to a tripod into the room.  


"That same pain being recorded and sent to your brother, Hiro. He will see every cut, every burn, every scream, and watch you crumble. Don't you want to make that at short as possible? If not for you, for him?"  


He spits at her feet, wasting precious liquid, but the flash of rage on her face is worth it.  


Lip curled in disgust, Doctor nods to Miss, who picks up a lighter.  


Doctor runs a cool hand down his face. "Now, sweetheart, let's try this one more time. _Tell me about the doomsday device_."  


\--  


Fire is one of the worst tools that has been used thus far, almost rivaling the flayed patch on his arm (that had been recently joined by another patch on his hip). It doesn't just hurt in a way nothing else does, it also brings horrific flashbacks to _flames_ and _betrayal_ and _fleshburninghaircrispingcrawlingtoHiro_ as terrified sobs wrack his body and he screams tear themselves unbidden from his heaving lungs. Memories he would prefer not to relive. He would redo it, though, a million times, if that meant Hiro would never see this. Tadashi knows his brother, and he knows Hiro will obsessively watch this feed if it means he can figure out how to save his _nii-san_. Tadashi doesn't think anyone can save him, at this point.  


\--  


There is no end.  


\--  


He doesn't remember why he's here. He doesn't remember what he's supposed to be keeping secret. All he knows is that he will never talk, because if he does, people who are very important to him - _HiroCassHoneyGogoWasabiFred_ \- will be in danger, and he cannot, will not, let that happen.  


\--  


He doesn't know how long he's been here. All he knows is his life has become a cycle of restless sleep, complete agony, and begging for relief. He hasn't given in, not yet, but he's reached the point where he's not sure how much longer he can hold out. Something has to give, and soon.  


\--  


On the day Miss picks up her saw, Tadashi has reached his tether. Wherever that saw is going, he probably won't survive the experience, and while on any other day here he would welcome that with open arms, his _otuoto_ is watching. He can't go down with out even pretending to fight.  


Doctor brushes his sweaty, disgusting hair out of his eyes. "Tadashi, love, I don't want to go this far. This is a tactic I haven't used in a very long time, and I'm not eager to do it again." The glint in her eyes says differently. "But you haven't given me a choice. You apparently want to die slowly in front of your brother, and I respect your choice. You could have stopped this whenever you wanted, and you didn't. I'm disappointed in you, Tadashi."  


The red light of the camera glares accusingly at him.  


He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, then looks up back at her. Though his throat is incredibly raw from screaming and dry from thirst, he croaks out, "I don't care what you do to me. I'm taking my knowledge to the grave."  
Doctor shakes her head at him like a disapproving schoolteacher.  


"Start with his feet."  


As Miss leans down with her sharp saw, teeth of it ready to shred him, an alarm blares across the building.  
Doctor's head flies up, lips curled into a snarl. "Miss, wait here. I need to go check on this, but I want to see this when it happens. Give me fifteen minutes,"  


Miss rocks back on her heels, face unchanging. She had never seemed to care if he was in pain or felt fine, if he was scared or calm or defiant. She focused solely on Doctor's orders and Doctor's frowns and Doctor's smiles.  


Tadashi wondered absentmindedly about what the hell they did to her to make her like that.  


More alarms start up. If Tadashi wasn't so incredibly exhausted, he might even find the energy to be curious. Instead, he's dully grateful that the snapripshred of those teeth is put off that much longer. He can be as strong as he wants, but he's so, so terrified. _He doesn't want to_  


The door explodes open, and Tadashi shrinks back as much as he can, eyes shut tight. Doctor must be back. He steels himself, but no amount of preparation could have prepared him for what he heard next.  


" _Nii-san!_ "  


Tadashi's eyes fly open, and _his brother is there_.  


He would almost be glad, but his brother is _here_.  


"Hiro!" he coughs. "You- you need to go!"  


"T- Tadashi, I'm here to save you."  


_Why doesn't he understand?_  


"No, you have to go, Doctor can't have you too, get out of here, please."  


Hiro's eyes are wide and scared, rightly so, and he goes back to the door. Rather than leave, he calls out, "Wasabi! Baymax!" and oh god not only is his project here for some reason - _why the hell is Baymax here_ \- but his friends are here too and he can't watch them all fade like he has he _can't_.  


Wasabi races in - wearing something very strange, they both are - and sees him. He slams a hand over his mouth like he's about to vomit, and Tadashi really can't blame him, covered in cuts and burns and missing skin and old scars like he is.  


Hiro smacks Wasabi's arm. "Come on, cut him down!"  


Someone clears their throat. It's Miss, who's still sitting on the floor with her saw.  


"Excuse me. I don't believe Doctor would be happy about this. I think I should stop you."  


That's when Honey darts in the door, holding something blue in her hand. She tosses it at Miss, where it explodes into a hardening blue foam that encases everything below her shoulders. Miss sighs, not even trying to fight it.  


"Tadashi!" Honey gasps, hand over her mouth. He's still frantically urging them to leave, but he's missing something here, they're strong and armed and have some sort of armor, and he has no idea what's going on.  


Wasabi finally unsheathes some sort of glowing green blade and slices the chain. Tadashi's shoulders are so stiff to the point that his arms stay up until Hiro forces them down, and he's incredibly weak. He's on the verge of collapse until Wasabi grabs him in his strong, gentle hands, holding him up.  


"Where's Baymax?" Hiro shouts, tears streaming down his face, but still so, so strong, stronger than Tadashi ever was.  


"Here, Hiro," says the calm, soothing voice of his creation.  


Baymax comes in, also in strange armor, and scans him.  


"Tadashi needs immediate medical attention. Gogo and Fred are successfully holding back guards, so I am not necessary here at the moment. Would you like me to take Tadashi to the nearest hospital?"  


" _Yes!_ " Hiro bays, panicked voice a huge contrast to the even tone.  
Tadashi is handed off to Baymax, who easily handles his damaged body and _no_ he _can't_ be separated from his brother _he has to protect Hiro_ but before he can struggle free something sharp pricks his arm and everything goes dark.  


\--  


When Tadashi Hamada wakes up, he is in a comfortable bed.  


Every inch of him that isn't wrapped in gauze is covered in a thin blanket, but the chill deep in his body is still there despite the warmth of the room. Everything that was so painful before has become a numb fog and his head feels like it's stuffed with cotton.  


He is alone, and he can't decide if that's a good thing or not.  


The door opens, and a man steps in the room.  


"Hello, Mister Hamada. I am Doctor Kishinuma."  


He rattles on about different medical things and all the different parts of Tadashi that aren't working right (all of them). Tadashi doesn't care, though. As soon as Kishinuma pauses for breath, he interrupts with "Where's Hiro? Where's my brother?"  


The doctor (and Tadashi isn't sure he'll ever stop shuddering at the word) smiles gently. "Hiro was here earlier with you. Your aunt took him home so he could get some rest, but visiting hours start soon, so he'll most likely show up with your friends then."  


Tadashi sighs in relief and sinks down into his sheets. His brother is safe. He can sleep easily.  


\--  


When he next wakes up, he is surrounded by people. Aunt Cass on one side, Hiro on the other, clutching onto his hand like a lifeline. Gogo, doodling in a notebook on her lap, Fred regaling Wasabi with the long, convoluted storyline of his new favorite comic, Honey handing out coffee cups to everyone. They seem alright, but Gogo is bouncing her food and Honey is smiling nervously and Fred is constantly chattering and Wasabi isn't talking at all and they're worried. He has to reassure them that he's ok. He croaks from his bed, "Hey, everyone."  


Hiro's head shoots up. "Tadashi!" Everyone hurries over to his bedside with varying levels of excitement, Honey being over the moon, while Gogo has a small smile. Everyone starts chattering at once, asking questions and giving information. He's content to sit back and let it all wash over him as they all unknowingly lessen the chill deep inside him.  


Surrounded by his friends and his aunt and _Hiro_ , he's not burning hot, or bone-deep cold, has no infection-blazed wounds or numbed shoulders. He is comfortably, happily warm, and he plans to stay that way.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Now go read some fluff to cheer yourself up.  
> Considering writing this from Hiro's POV, let me know if you're interested.


End file.
